


When you're young, but you're ready

by theSyndra



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Awkward!Korra - Freeform, F/F, Forward!Asami, mention of kinks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-25
Updated: 2015-02-25
Packaged: 2018-03-14 20:39:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3424829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theSyndra/pseuds/theSyndra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Korra doesn't understand why the world thinks her and Asami don't have any sexual chemistry. But, then again, they <i>were </i> just a part of the most awkward press tour in film history.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When you're young, but you're ready

**Author's Note:**

> Fic inspired by the Fifty Shades of Grey press tour and the adorable Dakota Johnson and Jaime Dornan. Specifically [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5lem_fUC88) video. Also this was really just an excuse to write shameless smut so, you know.

"You ready for this?"

Asami blinks at Korra and nods, hands gripping tight to the arms of her chair. "Yeah, it's what I signed up for, right?"

Korra nods and offers her a small smile, reassuring - or at least she tries. And then the lights come on and some backstage guy yells that they're live and she twists at her hands, because despite the fact that she's a respectable actress, she still gets nervous in front of cameras. Another guy points to her and she tries her best to perk up - which means she just sits up a bit more in her chair.

"H _i_ ," she chimes, voice unnaturally high. She tries her best to stay focused on the camera and avoid the temptation to turn and stare at her co-star, Asami. "I'm Korra and I'm here to talk about the upcoming movie."

"And, I'm Asami Sato, and I'm also here to talk about the upcoming movie."

Shit, they're doing last names. Korra should have thought of that. Well, granted, it's been a year since she filmed the movie and pretty much a year since the last time she's seen Asami, and nothing that she's ever done has gotten this much press. So it's safe to say she's a little rusty with these kinds of things - or just flat-out inexperienced. It's hard to wrap her head around it, though. Like, in about a month the world's going to see her portraying a character from a book series that sold over one-hundred million copies. A series that maybe has _one_ positive review on the internet. How the hell did her agent talk her into this.

Seriously, though. This just might ruin her career. Asami's got a famous mom and a famous dad and a famous grandma. If this was a college app she'd be the legacy every school dreams of. And Korra - she's just got a couple of shit roles on non-major TV shows and arms toned enough to get her a role as the woman who spanks Asami Sato.

No one's ever going to take her seriously. She doesn't even take herself seriously.

Some girl on an iPad asks, "So what's the sexiest weather?"

And Asami hesitates long enough to tell Korra she's not alone in feeling nervous or awkward or like she's being randomly thrust into the media with no fucking preparation at all. "Um, rain...?" Asami says and Korra can't hold back her laugh.

Asami shoots her a sideways glance and Korra can't help but think that she missed those green eyes and that wavy hair, the way she chews on her lip when she's nervous. And the way Asami used to read engineering magazines between scenes on set.

Fuck, there are those _feelings_ again. She needs to stay professional.

"So," another guy says on the iPad, "Harry Potter - dominant or submissive?"

And Korra practically loses her shit when Asami makes eye-contact with her before saying, "Sneaky dominant."

Then another guy comes on the iPad and prompts them with _Donald Trump_ , and both her and Asami say, "Submissive," at the same time before looking to each other and laughing some more.

Asami goes on to say, later in the interview, that grapes are the best aphrodisiac and the first word she can think of to describe Korra is _superb_ , and Korra finds herself admitting she's never actually been on a date, but she'd be willing to play strip poker or go skinny dipping. The entire time Korra can't stop thinking how she misses being around Asami. Being together again sort of makes this whole thing feel worth it.

Maybe this tour won't be so bad.

~~~

Three weeks later Korra's starting to have nightmares about the awkward silences in their interviews. And her inability to subdue her sighs. And the fact that Asami blurted that no one should see the movie, then tried to play it off as a joke. Also the fact that she admitted that she'd never do what she does to Asami in the movie to women in real life.

So, the tour is actually a disaster and it's being branded by everyone on the internet as the worst press tour in history, but at least it's fin _ally_ over _._

Korra's too busy figuring out how to salvage her career to sulk, though. And she's trying her best to avoid popping a bottle of expensive hotel champagne as she talks to her manager on the phone. "You were _supposed_ to give me good career advice."

"C'mon," Bolin says, "the whole world knows who you are. This is great for you."

"I doubt it. Tell me what they're saying."

Bolin hesitates for a good ten seconds, and Korra sighs to let him know he's keeping her waiting. "Well, I mean. You're already in a shit mood."

"I don't pay you to be my therapist, out with it."

"Early screenings aren't getting great reviews," he says, voice low enough that Korra almost doesn't hear it. She fights the urge to throw her pillow across the room. "You're getting the worst of it, everyone's saying you - well, you don't bring enough life to the character."

Korra throws her pillow. Fucking hell.

Alright, she didn't expect to win an Oscar, but she at least expected people to understand she didn't have much to work with. Instead, they're ripping her apart. Maybe she should move to another country and do indie films, sort of like washed-up NBA stars go over-seas to play Euro-basketball.

"There's more," Bolin continues. "They say you and Asami have no chemistry and - "

"That's bullshit," Korra snaps. Or maybe she just hopes it is. Maybe it's just wishful thinking on her part that she'd have some sort of chemistry with Asami fucking Sato. It's a far stretch, anyway. Like Asami's impossibly gorgeous and impossibly tall and impossibly impossible with cheek bones that could slice through a steak easily. "I don't know. I guess - I mean, I expected bad but this is." She sighs, long and strained. "I'll, um, call you back, yeah?"

"Alright," Bolin sighs. "Take care of yourself will you? Don't do anything stupid just because you're in a mood."

"It's not like I can make my image look any worse," Korra huffs. But she's got to be an adult about this so she gives in and says, "Yeah I know. I won't do anything stupid."

She hangs up the phone, then. And opens the bottle of champagne because why the hell not. The tour is over and the movie is getting shit reviews and everyone thinks she's about as interesting as a dead fish.

Thirty minutes later, Korra's not drunk enough to forget the shit show her life is, but she's drunk enough to answer the knock at her hotel door without checking who it is first - with a half empty bottle of champagne in her hand.

"I see you started without me," Asami says, and Korra has to gather herself because she doesn't properly know if it's actually Asami standing outside her room.

"What are you doing here?" she asks, leaning against the doorway.

Asami holds up the bottle in her hand. "I thought we could celebrate." Korra quirks a brow. "Alright, I thought maybe we could drink away the embarrassment. Together."

"It's not really working," Korra confesses.

"Well maybe we can both just use the company."

"Right this way then," Korra says and smiles, sways a bit. Oh god maybe she's too drunk for this.

Asami doesn't seem to notice, though. She just grabs Korra's wrist and practically drags the both of them inside to sit on the couch in Korra's room. "These suites are nice, at least," Asami says, looking around. She takes the bottle from Korra's hand and sets her own on the table. "Guess we're not doing glasses, huh Korra?"

The way she says Korra's name, intimately, like she's tasting it, makes Korra's heart beat a little faster. Or maybe it's just the drinks. Either way, Korra can't stop herself from staring intently at Asami's lips as she wraps them around the bottle and throws her head back drinking.

She would very much like to kiss Asami.

"Maybe we should have taken some shots - before interviews," Asami says. "Get us all loosened up."

Korra tries hard to ignore the dirty connotation of loosen up. "Nah, then they'd have even more shit to say about us than they do now. Or, well, more shit to say about me. Your reviews aren't so bad."

Asami shrugs, easily, takes another sip from the bottle. "I never look at that shit anyway."

"It never like, bothers you? You don't secretly really want to know what people are saying?"

"Do you think I'd have taken this role if I cared about all that?" That's a good point. Korra's just an idiot. "I didn't mean it that way," Asami clarifies, like she's read Korra's mind. "At the end of the day, someone's got to do the job. I'm just sort of glad it was _you_."

Korra thinks hard about that as they finish off the bottle, and half way into the next bottle Asami manages to look graceful even as she slumps into the couch. 

"You don't really say much?" she says. "I really wanna know what you're thinking."

Korra slumps into the couch as well, albeit, less graceful than Asami. "I'm really not thinking about anything, you know. Just trying to focus on my next career move."

"There's two more movies," Asami points out. And Korra grunts in response. "I like having you on set, you know? The way you always run to cover me up whenever they yell cut."

"Well someone's got to do it. I'm pretty covered for most of the filming, but you're like - you're all exposed."

"It's sort of like we're opposite our characters," Asami points out, "like you seem all innocent and shit."

"That's not true at all, I'm definitely not innocent."

"Oh yeah?" Asami says and there's a smirk in her voice. She won't look away from Korra, just keeps staring her in the eyes and sort of - smiling. She has really nice teeth, straight and white, and perfect and Asami should definitely smile a lot more. That's possibly a drunk thought, Korra knows it.

She can't help it, though, because her drunk thoughts apparently come with drunk actions. She leans in and kisses Asami quick, misses her lips and lands it on the corner of her mouth. When she pulls back Asami's smile is gone, replaced with a dark stare that looks like Asami might beat the shit out of someone, and Korra is unexpectedly feeling a bit more sober than she wants to be in this moment.

"Right, then. Yeah," she says, rubbing her palms on her jeans. They're maybe a little sweaty. Asami can probably hear how hard her heart's beating. "Yeah, so we won't talk about that. It was dumb."

"Maybe," Asami says softly, sort of shocked. "We're co-stars, you know - "

"Yeah," Korra jumps in. "That's why we won't talk about it."

Korra's kiss was quick and uncoordinated and pretty out of the blue, but Asami's kiss - she leans in slowly, it's soft at first, hesitant like she's giving Korra a chance to escape. But when Korra doesn't run from it she leans in, presses harder into the kiss and parts her lips. She gets a hand on Korra's chest and climbs onto her lap as she presses her back into the couch and she kisses Korra in a way that Korra's never been kissed before. It's not slow or fast, not necessarily hard or gentle - but it's steady and insistent and... _honest_? Fuck, Korra sort of wishes she weren't drunk right now.

Asami digs her nails into Korra's chest, the skin right beneath her shirt collar, and Korra lets out a gasp right before Asami pulls away.

"Wow, um. You're - jesus fuck," she says, her lips red and bruised and her breath heavy. Then she leans in and kisses Korra quick, before she climbs off her lap and sinks into the couch again right beside her. "I've been wanting to do that for over a year, if you can believe it."

Korra actually _can't_ believe it. She laughs without meaning to and grabs the back of her neck with her hand. "Yeah, well, I suppose I can't say I haven't thought about it."

"Don't be a dick," Asami giggles. "Well, I mean you did get to kiss me on set, so."

"That was different, though. More, um - "

"Choreographed?"

"Yeah," Korra says. She reaches over and slides a loose strand of hair behind Asami's ear. "I like the idea of kissing you without having to hold your hands down, or above your head, or having you tied up. Or, you know, anything weird like that."

Asami presses her lips together, then she lifts a brow. "You saying you're not like, the least bit interested in D/s shit?"

"Not particularly, no. I mean, I guess it's for some people."

"I think it's more about trust, you know."

"Yeah," Korra says. She's knows that. It's just - "I don't know. I did all my research and stuff before filming, I just. I'm not actually quite into it, you know? Or not something that extreme. Like, I don't want to _hit_ you. I want you to feel safe and stuff."

There's no reason for Korra to swallow nervously after that, except the way Asami looks at her - really looks at her. The kind of look that makes her nervous despite having spent years in front of cameras. "It's amazing," she whispers finally, "how adorable you are."

Korra feels her face flush, which doesn't help her case when she says, "I'm not _adorable_."

"No you are, really." She scrunches up her nose and smiles in a goofy way, something that doesn't seem that characteristic of her. "I just want to like, run my hands through your hair," she says. "It looks really soft."

Korra's only reasonable line of action is to settle down into Asami's lap, rest her head on her thighs. "Feel free," she says, and ruffles it a bit for Asami.

"I like how you cut it. It looks so nice, I don't know if I've told you yet."

Korra turns and presses her face to Asami's stomach, tries to hide her blush. "Yeah, thanks. I needed a change I think."

Asami runs her finger over Korra's ear and then, well. Korra's pretty sure she just falls asleep after that.

So, they don't have sex or anything even though, Korra thinks, it was probably definitely a possibility. One that maybe won't present itself again any time soon, if ever.

~~~

It's probably for the best, though - that they don't have sex.

They end up flying back home the next day, Asami to New York, and Korra to California. Being on other sides of the country feels strange when they've just spent so much time together. And had an intimate moment or something. Whatever. But, it's not like they'll be apart long. They've got the premiere thing in a week and then Korra's sure there might be more joint interviews once the movie is out. Maybe they can salvage their chemistry for the fans. It's a possibility.

She spends her first two days at home pigging out. It's not like the press shit is over, but she doesn't have people around her constantly to remind her that her figure is supposed to be a thing.

She also watches a ton of Netflix to try to remind herself that there are probably worse movies than the one she just filmed.

When that doesn't work she calls her mom. "Seriously, though. You're not allowed to see it mom."

"It's just sex, Korra. I'm an adult. And I want to support you."

Korra picks at the design on her couch and tries to think of a legitimate excuse that doesn't involve her having to explicitly state that she doesn't want her mom seeing her naked and tying another woman to a bed.

"Well, just support me by not seeing it, please," is the best she can come up with.

"Fine, if you really don't want me to," her mother says. It's a bit passive aggressive, but Korra takes it anyway.

"Good, so how's dad?"

"He's not so excited with your choices, you know?"

"He'll come around, always does." Korra clenches her jaw in frustration. It's not that she doesn't believe what she's saying, but she'd really like her father on her side right now. "Tell him I love him anyway, alright?"

"He loves you too Korra, you know that? You're just..." Her mother sighs. "You're his little girl, you know?"

"It was a career choice," Korra says, but stops short because she's not even convincing herself with that. "Anyway I have to be off, um, have to call my manager and talk about some press stuff. Love you mom."

She hangs up and doesn't call anyone, just sort of sits in silence for a while. She's torn, is the thing. On one hand this movie feels like the illegitimate child in her career, the one that gets swept under the rug and no one ever brings it up or talks about it. It's her fucking Jon Snow. But on the other hand she _did_ get to meet Asami and they kind of have a thing, or at least it felt like they had a thing. She wishes she could call Asami and talk about it without seeming like a total sap that's misguidedly pining after her co-star. Shit, she wishes she at the very least had Asami's number.

But that's not an option, so Korra sits at home getting more and more gross, as the week goes on - likes it because she knows she'll have to be super scrubbed and plucked before she goes to the premiere like she's fucking Katniss in the Hunger Games.

Why the fuck couldn't she be in the Hunger Games? That's a trilogy she wouldn't mind, but no fucking Jennifer Lawrence has to -

Korra's ringing phone startles her, and when she looks at the screen it's just a number, not a name. Part of her doesn't want to answer because, well, wrong number calls are even more awkward when you're a celebrity, but what the hell, she'll make someone's day.

Turns out it's Asami calling, which. It, oddly enough, makes Korra super self-conscious about how gross she is right now. She's going to take six showers after this phone call.

"I've been thinking about you," Asami starts off with.

Good, now Korra doesn't have to say it. "Thinking about how shit I look next to you in the movie?"

"More like, thinking about how I don't have to use my imagination to know what you look like without any clothes on." Korra snorts and Asami laughs on the other end. "So, are we coordinating for the premiere, or just sort of doing our own thing?"

"Is this really what you called about?"

"No, but I thought it'd be weird if I told you how many people I had to go through to get your number... just because I missed your voice."

That doesn't sound creepy coming from Asami. Korra's sure if it was switched around it'd be creepy.

"I like that answer better."

Asami hums. "So, um, what are you wearing right now?"

"Sweats and a t-shirt. I'm actually pretty gross."

It's weird but Korra can practically feel Asami rolling her eyes. "You're really bad at this being sexy thing."

Shit. Korra smiles into her arm, feels embarrassed even though Asami's not really there, like she needs to hide herself. "Guess you'll have to be sexy enough for the both of us?"

"Alright then," Asami says. "How about you let me come over to your place and clean you up."

Korra's pretty sure it should be illegal for Asami to say that over the phone. Like, "Watch your mouth, Sams. The NSA could be listening in. We're gonna end up on TMZ before you know it."

"Sams?"

Right, that's the part she takes from that statement. "Sorry it just slipped out."

"No no, I like it. Not too many people call me by a nickname."

That's rather interesting to know, but they should really get back to the more important part. "Were you really offering to come over, or do I just sound embarrassingly desperate right now."

"I like the idea of you being desperate for me."

Korra blushes furiously again. This is really becoming a problem. "I'm pretty sure that's my line. You're supposed to be like the super inexperienced, really innocent college girl, remember?"

When Asami doesn't respond right away, Korra's prepared to back-pedal because maybe that was a little weird to say, but Asami eventually says, "So is that what you want, Korra? I can do that."

Fuck. She's doing the thing with the name again. "Stop that," Korra whines, "it's not fair you can like, you get under my skin, but I can't get under yours."

"Who says that's true?"

"Me," Korra admits, but if she was having any kind of effect on Asami it would have shown by now.

"The offer to come over was real," Asami huffs. "I don't fly across the country for girls who don't get under my skin."

Oh. "So, like. You'd just hop on a plane and come over?"

"I'm already in town, if you're interested."

Not even Korra's dumb enough to turn that down, so she actually showers six times and dresses and redresses and then redresses herself again to get ready to meet Asami - okay, she still manages to end up in sweats, but that's only because she wants to appear casual, not like she's trying too hard or something. She doesn't want to possibly scare Asami away.

Except she's pretty sure what she's wearing doesn't even matter because Asami just kisses her into the house the moment she opens the door.

"Wow, what's this for?" Korra asks, when she gets a break from the kissing. She should probably use it to breathe, but she wants to get Asami talking, make it feel more real, like she's actually here.

"You say it like you don't deserve it."

"I don't?" Korra says, and Asami kisses her again.

"Seriously, do you know how cute you are?" It comes out like Asami's angry, and her hands back it up because she shoves them under Korra's shirt, scratches roughly at her skin. "With your fucking grin and blue as fuck eyes and the way you're always just kind of staring at me, you know? Like, in that way that makes me feel really fucking beautiful or something."

"But, you _are_ beautiful," Korra responds, muffled, into Asami's lips.

" _See_ ," Asami says, like her point is really fucking obvious.

Korra still doesn't get it, but she leads Asami to the couch anyway. Pushes her down onto it and then climbs on top of her. She's sort of disappointed in her furniture, then. It's like, too squishy - should be firmer so she has better leverage or something, but Asami grabs her hips and presses her thigh between Korra's legs and Korra grinds down onto it without even thinking about it.

Maybe she's not wearing any underwear. So, she was a little hopeful.

Asami skips all the pleasantries, shoves her hand down the back of Korra's sweats and starts pulling the waistband down until Korra lifts up and helps her take them off. And then she's oddly aware that for the first time _she's_ the one that's more exposed than Asami. Which, is only fair. But Asami really needs to, well, "Shirt," Korra says roughly, out of breath, between kisses. "Off."

Jeez she's like fucking Tarzan.

Asami has it pulled over her head, though, before Korra can even think of a better way to phrase her request. It's different, seeing Asami's exposed breasts beneath her now. Different than when she saw them during filming. It's like, she can explore, can put her mouth on them and drag her teeth across Asami's nipple. She doesn't have to worry about angles or if she's making a dumb face or any of that shit. She can just focus on how Asami's back is arching off the couch, how she's muttering _fuck me_ and grabbing at Korra's hair. It's more about pleasing Asami, the high from that, and not about getting the shot.

Korra lifts up and Asami's properly flushed, hair splayed out on the couch and bottom lip swollen from her biting on it. It's like, mesmerizing or something and she's sort of stuck staring before Asami pulls her down, presses her face to Korra's shirt and scrapes her teeth over her nipple through the fabric like she's trying to get the cream off an Oreo. Korra's straddling Asami without any pants on, so there's no barrier between how wet she is and, well, _Asami_. It's, fuck -

Asami does some weird Krav Maga maneuvering or some shit that seems skilled and smooth and complicated and - any _way_ , Korra ends up on her back with Asami on top of her. And she's just hoping that she doesn't have a really dumb O-face because the moment Asami's hand drops between her legs she realizes how turned on she is. Asami doesn't do anything fancy, though, just leaves her hand there, which has Korra absolutely aching for it. Especially since Asami's mouth is still scraping against Korra, has the wet shirt fabric dragging against Korra's hard nipple.

She's so sensitive, has never wanted to take her shirt off more than she does now, but Asami's got her pinned and the couch isn't giving her much moving room. She's got no outlet really, but to just _talk_. "Asami," she says. Moans. It's a plea and a question and a demand all in one.

Asami gets it. Well, kind of.  "Tell me what you want."

Korra tries - she's not good with being blunt about things, especially sex things. Which is really weird that she'd play this part now that she thinks about it. "I want like, more," she says.

"More what?"

Korra chews on her lip and throws her head back when Asami starts swirling her fingers between her legs. It's one thing knowing how wet she is, but it's another when someone's moving around in it.

"Just," Korra gasps, "more than _this_ , I'm not picky."

Asami laughs and it's almost cynical, like she's only here to watch Korra squirm. But it also happens to be the sexiest thing that Korra's ever heard. "I just want you to say it, two words - "

"Jesus, Asami," Korra says, "just fuck me already."

Asami slides a finger in and Korra - she's embarrassingly close to the edge, considering she's barely even been touched. She can't even play it off, prolong it. It's obvious in everything she's doing - from the way she's arching her back and squeezing her eyes shut, to the way her minds devolving from anything resembling coherence into a muddled mess of feelings and sounds. She should have gotten off in the shower or something, fuck. Korra opens her eyes when Asami slides her thumb across her clit. It's soft, like, too soft. Too teasing at this point, because Korra can't handle teasing.

She doesn't bother asking this time though, just goes ahead and fucks herself on Asami's hand, gets up a good rhythm until she comes with Asami gasping above her, hand gripped tight in Korra's hair. She's almost content enough to just take a nap after that, but she realizes she hasn't touched Asami.

And that's just not acceptable.

"I can't do that thing," she says, her voice surprising even her, "the thing where you flipped us over. I can't do that."

Asami's laugh seems like it jumps out of her and she leans down and kisses Korra before she take's Korra's hand and pushes it down the front of her leggings.

"You don't have to do anything fancy for me," Asami says. And she's so wet, like maybe even more than Korra. Which is, sort of baffling. It's like she was getting off on just touching Korra, which maybe means that she likes her forreal, like they could maybe be more of a thing after this. But that's not Korra's biggest concern right now, not when she's rubbing against Asami's clit and Asami's grinding against her hand, moving so fluidly that Korra's honestly sure that she's actually a fucking goddess.

Asami comes as gracefully and attractively as anyone would imagine that Asami fucking Sato comes. Her eyeliner's not even smeared... but her lipstick's a bit smudged.

And Korra laughs suddenly, because she's reminded of that Beyonce song and the fact that it wouldn't be impossible for her and Asami to fuck in the back of a limo. But that's a question for another day.

"What are you laughing about?" Asami asks.

"Nothing, you're just. You're beautiful."

Asami thumps at Korra's chest before she settles down on top of her. "Hey, well. Guess that makes two of us."

"I might drop out," Korra says suddenly. "Of the next two. The movies I mean. Would you be mad?"

The way Asami presses her nose to Korra's neck basically answers the question. "No, these movies aren't really you. I think it's good you know what you want - and what you don't."

"I'd still support you and stuff, I just - "

"I get it," Asami says, lifting up and wiping the loose strands of hair from Korra's forehead. "You don't have to run it by me. I'm not here to dictate your career moves. You're doing fine on your own."

Korra stays decidedly quiet after that and lets Asami rest on top of her. She doesn't want to ruin the moment after all.

Not when things are going so perfectly after a month of hell.

~~~

Being with Asami is even better than Korra imagined.

They end up coordinating at the premiere. And during their next joint interview Asami tells the world they're dating and Korra just goes along merrily because who wouldn't be proud of dating Asami Sato. It's the fucking dream. And Asami's so great, and they're so great _together_ , Korra thinks.

Although, unfortunately, there are still the people out there that say they don't have any chemistry.

Which, whatever. Fuck them. Korra's got her girl and that's all that matters.

~End~


End file.
